Content

This course, taking a comparative religous ethics point of view, discusses the way world religions approach end of life ethics. Though a few smaller traditions may be discussed, the course concentrates on the ethical thinking in Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and/or Buddhism. After a general introduction in which the different terms and concepts (euthanasia, palliative care,...) are explained, we discuss end of life rituals, practices and beliefs in a small number of world religions. In the final and most important part of the course in a few world religions the following topics are addressed: euthanasia (voluntary, non−voluntary, involuntary), pain control, withholding and withdrawing life sustaining treatment at the patient’s request, futile treatment, palliative care and/or organ transplantation. Each year the ethical views of two world religions (e.g. Islam and Judaism) are discussed in detail.

Course material

• PPT
• Personal notes, taken by the students during each class
• Reader with the articles that will be studied (available on Toledo).

Format: more information

PPT will be used througout the course. At the same time student are expected to take notes throughout the course. Each class there will be time for interaction and questions. Whenever students have questions regarding the course when studying the course material or reviewing their notes, they can inform the professor via email. He will then answer these questions at the beginning of the next class.

Explanation

Traditional oral examination (12 minutes). Students have 40 minutes of written preparation. Students receive two broad and general questions about two different parts of the course. Students are asked to give a well-structured, intelligent, coherent & to the point answer to each question in approximately 5 minutes. The mark given is based on the oral examination only; the written preparation, though collected by the professor (in order to make possible later feedback easier), serves only a preparatory goal. When during the oral examination extra questions are asked, they are always related to the original question. The fact that several or no additional questions were asked doesn't give any indication of the quality of the examination. When a student is unable to answer one or more of the two initial broad questions, under no circumstances alternate quesions will be given. Each question counts for half of the final exam result. If however a student receives a mark below 6/20 for any of these two questions, he/she fails the exam, whatever the result for the other exam question.

Content

In this course we reflect on the relation between Christianity and Judaism. The confrontation with the Shoah structures the discussion. We study the history, the theology and the current state of Jewish-Christian relations.

The historical approach focuses on the biblical, theological and ecclesiastical roots of Christian appreciation of Judaism. We deal with the question of the responsibility of Christianity and Christian anti-Judaism for the Shoah (Holocaust).

The theological approach deals with the theology of Jewish-Christian relations, both in the past and present. We tackle questions such as how Christians think about Judaism and how Jews think about Christianity. We search for continuity and discontinuity between both religions. The crucial question is: How can Christians proclaim Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God and at the same time appreciate the abiding validity of Judaism? Besides, there is the question of the relation between Moria and Golgotha. We pay attention to the contribution of contemporary Jewish and Christian theologians, and to the teachings of the Church.

The course also aims at making a contribution to the ever growing need for interreligious dialogue in our pluralistic world. This course will make the student aware of the opportunities and problems of the Jewish-Christian encounter and will show how interreligious dialogue needs an interdisciplinary approach. The course deals with topics of exegesis (e.g. typology), dogmatics (e.g. uniqueness of Jesus in relation to the Jewish people, messianism), moral theology (e.g. ethics and grace, remembrance and reconciliation) and church history (e.g. the role of Pius XII during World War II, the case of the Holocaust denier Williamson).

Students become also familiar with 'holocaust films' and the religious topics in 'holocaust films' in particular.

Course material

Study cost: 11-25 euros (The information about the study costs as stated here gives an indication and only represents the costs for purchasing new materials. There might be some electronic or second-hand copies available as well. You can use LIMO to check whether the textbook is available in the library. Any potential printing costs and optional course material are not included in this price.)

Course material will be published on Toledo.

D. Pollefeyt, Ethics and Theology after the Holocaust, Leuven, Peeters, 2018.

Format: more information

• Students attend classes and participate actively by taking notes and asking critical questions.
• Students are expected to attend the film forum that is organised during the whole semester.
• They must have seen at least one movie or have read one novel about the Holocaust, and be able to discuss this movie or novel at the examination.  

Explanation

Oral exam, closed book, with written preparation + participation to the sessions on holocaust films (pass/fail)

The written preparation merely serves as an aid to the student. Additional questions may be asked to test the student's insights into other parts of the study material.

The student receives three questions:

1. Main question 1 from the theoretical part of the course

2. Main question 2 from the theoretical part of the course

3. Minor question on the first, historical part of the course

Composition of final point:

Question 1 (45%)

Question 2 (45%)

Question 3 (10%)

Holocaust films (pass/fail)

Points of attention:

The exam tests the knowledge of the students, the level of understanding and the capacity to apply the insights.

If both main questions cannot be answered, the student cannot succeed.

The additional question can influence the final result with maximum 10% (2 points more or less).

The student has to watch one movie or read one novel on the Holocaust. This can be a topic at the oral exam.

The student needs a 'pass' for the participation to the 'holocaust film forum' to succeed for the exam.

Content

Content

• Eastern Religions
• Hinduism
• (Jainism)
• (Sikhism)
• Buddhism
• Confucianism
• Taoism
• Shintoism

Course material

Course Book:

C. Scott Littleton (General Editor), The Sacred East, An illustrated Guide to Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Taoism and Shinto (Berkely: Seastone, 1996). 

Other reading material will be announced during the course and can be found on Toledo after the lecture.

Reference Books

Willard G. Oxtoby and Roy C. Amore (editors), World Religions, Eastern Traditions (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003).

Michael D. Coogan (general editor), Eastern Religions (London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2005).

Mel Thompson, Teach Yourself, Eastern Philosophy (London: Hodder & Stoughton, 2003).

Format: more information

Several basic texts will be read and explained together.

In addition, the student will also get some experiences of what these religions have to offer on a spiritual level.

This course will be mainly based on lectures taught by the professor that will provide an insight into the world of Eastern religions.

In order to gain more insight into the various forms of thinking, there will be moments of discussion with the students about certain topics, persons from the religion come to speak, and a trip to a particular Eastern religion nearby.

Explanation

A list of questions will be provided in preparation for the exam. During the exam, the student will be given four questions from this list to answer.

The criteria for the evaluation are: the way in which the answer is constructed, logical and at the same time personal, critical and at the same time self-critical, with a good knowledge of the Eastern Religions that is at the same time open to other religious or philosophical traditions.

The student gets a second exam chance during the next exam period with the same modality.

Questionnaire will be available on Toledo a few weeks before the exams.

Content

This introductory course offers a survey of:

• historical context and religious setting in which the Islamic tradition emerged;
• a presentation of the Prophet Muhammad in both traditional Islamic learning and modern scholarship;
• an examination of the status of the Qur’an, its key themes and the scholarly practice of Qur’anic exegesis;
• the early political history and schisms in Islam
• the emergence and development of traditional Islamic learning (law and jurisprudence, theology, philosophy);
• practices and rituals;
• the spiritual dimensions of Islam (Sufism)

Course material

Study cost: 1-10 euros (The information about the study costs as stated here gives an indication and only represents the costs for purchasing new materials. There might be some electronic or second-hand copies available as well. You can use LIMO to check whether the textbook is available in the library. Any potential printing costs and optional course material are not included in this price.)

• Course text and articles (provided by the lecturer)
• PowerPoint: see Toledo

Format: more information

Students are expected to attend all lectures, and actively participate in class discussions. By the end of the semester, the students are expected to have obtained a thorough, reflective knowledge of the course text and content. 

Explanation

Exam consisting of three (3) open questions based on the lectures and assigned readings.

Content

This course offers an introduction to the study of Judaism.

After a discussion of several essential features of Judaism as a religion, national identity, way of life and culture during the first lecture, a historical perspective is provided in subsequent classes during which major developments and transitional moments in Jewish history - and also the primary places, groups and figures associated therewith - are discussed.

The following lectures provide a thematic analysis of the most important Jewish religious texts and of central theological issues raised in these texts.

In the remaining classes, the focus shifts to how religion is lived and practiced in the main denominations of contemporary Judaism.

Course material

Study cost: 26-50 euros (The information about the study costs as stated here gives an indication and only represents the costs for purchasing new materials. There might be some electronic or second-hand copies available as well. You can use LIMO to check whether the textbook is available in the library. Any potential printing costs and optional course material are not included in this price.)

No required materials must be purchased, but compulsory and recommended texts will be made available via Toledo, e.g. from:

• Baskin, Judith (ed.), The Cambridge Guide to Jewish History, Religion, and Culture (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010)
• Scheindlin, Raymond, A Short History of the Jewish People (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1998)
• Segal, Eliezer, Introducing Judaism (London: Routledge, 2009).
• Solomon, Norman, Judaism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996, ²2014).

PowerPoint presentations (with text sheets, illustrations, sound and film fragments) will be made available via Toledo before each class.

An excursion (fees apply) will be scheduled during the semester to a destination related to Judaism.

Format: more information

Guided self-study: reading texts in preparation for classes.

Lecture, alternated with interaction. The students take their own notes during classes.

Paper/Assignment on a theme related to the excursion; the paper can be discussed with the teacher during the course of the semester.

Explanation

At the beginning of the semester, a list of 15-20 questions will be provided, 4 of which will be selected during the exam, each representing 20% of the marks (adding up to 80% of the exam total). The exam is geared towards assessing whether one has acquired an ability to reach a nuanced position on a particular issue (in this case, with regards to the subject of Judaism). The goal will therefore be to answer each question as comprehensively and in as nuanced a way as possible.

In addition, 20% of the exam total will be reserved for contextualizing 10 (out of 120) entries from the List of Names and Terms; a few entries will appear as photos from the PowerPoint presentations. This second part of the exam can be replaced by a paper of 2000-2500 words as part of the excursion. 

Self-study students get a regular written exam, which may be scheduled outside the exam period; please sign up for one of the monthly moments offered by the lecturer.

Information about retaking exams

The evaluation of the paper is transferred to the second exam period. Students who did not submit a paper during the first exam period will be given a new opportunity to do so in accordance with the guidelines communicated via Toledo.

Content

General knowledge of texts from three areas and periods of interaction between Christianity and Islam, to wit:

• Capita Selecta from pre-modern Christian-Muslim Relations 
• Capita Selecta from Christian-Muslim Relations in the modern period
• Contemporary (late 20th and 21st century) dialogue and polemics between Muslims and Christians

Read and analyse different sources on Christian-Muslim literary interaction

Course material

All material will be made available via Toledo.

Format: more information

Discussion - Paper - Presentation

• The course is taught as a series of interactive lectures, student presentations and the writing of a research paper.
• Preparation, attendance, and active class participation are required. 
• The preparation cosists of reading of primary texts and posting of discussion questions on the Toledo discussion board.

Explanation

Grading                                  

Class participation and preparation                                                      25%

Oral presentation                                                                                  25%

Paper                                                                                                    50%

The oral presentation and the paper will be graded with respect to both form (style) and content. 

Information about retaking exams

Grades for class participation and for the presenation are maintained. Only the paper can be reworked.

Content

Course summary

This course introduces religious practices in East Asia and explores forms and expressions of religiosity in East Asia, past and present. We will start with an overview of the main religious traditions in the region and look at how they interacted and continue to interact with religious practices that entered the countries of East Asia at some point in their history. Attention will also be paid to how both the indigenous and adopted religious practices have influenced and been influenced by historical and political developments in these respective countries. Next, using English-language scholarship, we will trace and critically analyse such developments through the study of topics that include social, cultural, historical, textual, doctrinal, and theoretical issues. Although it will be impossible to cover all these issues in depth, through its thematic and geographical approach this course is aimed at helping students deepen their understanding of the religious traditions of East Asia while also stimulating them at further developing their research skills.

Course goals

By the end of this course, successful students will be able to

• demonstrate basic knowledge of the history, doctrines, beliefs and practices of the religious traditions of East Asia.
• understand how the religious traditions of East Asia continue to influence the individual, the family and the state.
• explore religion against a variety of backgrounds, including social, political and economic contexts.
• critically engage with secondary sources that pertain to the study of the religious traditions of East Asia.
• demonstrate the ability to plan and develop a short research project and to present it in oral form.

Course structure

The first three weeks will be dedicated to a brief introduction to both the study of religion and to the history, thought and practice of the various religious traditions of East Asia. This will be followed by ten weeks of lectures, student-led presentations (group work) and discussions on specific issues in East Asian religions (from a list of subjects provided by the lecturer).

Course material

Course material

The readings for this course will be provided on Toledo in PDF form.

Format: more information

Group assignment - Presentation

• Students attend the lectures and participate actively by taking notes and asking critical questions.
• Students prepare for class by doing the reading assignments.
• Students commit to their assignment (group or individual assignment depending on numbers of students - explanations will be given in the first class).

Explanation

• Active participation in class and presentation (40%).
• Written exam (60%) – open and closed questions.
• Students need to pass for both parts in order to pass the course. If a student did not pass the presentation assignment, an alternative assignment may be given in the resit period, e.g. a short research paper.

Information about retaking exams

If a student did not pass the presentation assignment, an alternative assignment may be given in the resit period, e.g. a short research paper.

Content

This module deals with intellectual developments in the wider modern & contemporary Muslim world (MENA Countries, South & Southeast Asia, Africa and the Muslim diasporas in Europe, the Americas, and Oceania). Issues and themes include but are not limited to: epistemology; new approaches to Qur'anic Studies; the Muslim world and globalisation; religion and politics in the Muslim world (secularisation, democratisation, etc.); the place of Islamic law in the modern and contemporary Muslim world; religious plurality, human rights, and gender issues in the Muslim world. Using both primary texts (in translation) and secondary sources. Subjects under investigation will be contextualised by relating their significance to concerns affecting Muslims, the Islamic and wider world.

Course material

Textbook
Assigned readings made available via Toledo-page
PowerPoint presentations of lectures with voice-recording (retroactively)

Format: more information

The format of the teaching plan for the module sessions consists in introductory lectures by the convener and presentations by the students.

Explanation

Attendance & active contribution to the sessions (10%)
Classroom presentation (30%)
Paper (60%)

Information about retaking exams